Digging Deeper: The Hugh Roy Cullen Story | Wildcatter History

On a sweltering afternoon in 1921, wildcatter Hugh Roy Cullen barked orders at his drilling team — barely audible over the loud, constant hum of the machinery — as they rushed about, making their final preparations. The entrepreneur’s wife and children watched from a distance as the men busied themselves under the tall steel frame of the derrick at the Taylor-Stevenson Ranch, two miles to the south of Houston City.

This was the location of the Pierce Junction Oil Field — a site first drilled near the beginning of the oil rush, when owner Ed Taylor found gas in his water well in 1906. This was the first indication that the jolly rancher’s property sat atop a salt dome; a subterranean formation often rich in hydrocarbons. In other words: jackpot.

But the field’s glory days were a long time ago, and by the time our man Cullen obtained the rights to drill there, it was thought to be drained dry. The wildcatter disagreed, and he was willing to put his money where his mouth was.

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There are few stories throughout history that are as exciting, compelling, and downright mysterious as the discovery of American oilfields. These are stories that still captivate us today, even though they began more than a century ago.

The original wildcatters were hardworking men who risked everything to find black gold. Wildcatter History is about these pioneers, their lives, discoveries, and the empires they created. Follow along to learn about each wildcatter—from Hugh Roy Cullen to T. Boone Pickens—as well as the legacy they left behind.
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